Westpac NZ Turns Credit Card Fears Into Horror Experience With Saatchi & Saatchi

Westpac NZ and Saatchi & Saatchi NZ have teamed up to launch ‘Fear-Free Credit’, a horror-inspired campaign designed to show young people that credit cards don’t need to be scary.

With media led by Spark Foundry NZ, and Digitas NZ leading the customer experience, the campaign challenges audiences to ‘face their credit fears’ and introduces Westpac’s expert guidance and tools to overcome them.

Embracing the dramatic horror genre, 'Fear-Free Credit' spotlights common anxieties — from spiralling debt to haunting impulse buys — and offers clear solutions to help alleviate those worries.

Central to the campaign is the House of Credit Card Fears, a pop-up immersive experience where each unsettling room embodies a different credit-card fear. At the end of the journey, visitors step into the Fear-Free Zone, where Westpac’s six steps to responsible credit help transform fear into confidence -- empowering them to build a healthy credit score.

The campaign leverages the cultural insight that Gen Z is highly engaged with the horror genre, utilising this connection to make financial literacy feel more engaging and relevant – and providing practical tools to help young people build credit with confidence.

Westpac NZ chief brand and marketing officer Sarah Williams said, “Insights show young people are significantly more credit card-shy than other generations, often because they lack the confidence to manage debt responsibly or use credit to their advantage. We wanted to address these fears directly and give them the tools to turn credit from a source of worry into an opportunity.”

The House of Credit Card Fears also served as a film set, producing immersive, cross-platform content and offering a personalised experience for each participant.

Lee Sunter, executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, added, “Fear-Free Credit came from a strong creative idea: reimagining a house of horrors into an immersive financial experience. Each room was designed to let participants physically walk through their credit-related fears. By tracking their heart rates, we identified their biggest anxieties, allowing us to deliver tailored tips and tools in the Westpac Fear-Free Zone. The result was a personalised experience for every individual who chose to face their credit fears.”

Produced, managed, and executed by experiential agency Spur, the activation ran from  September 19th to 21st at 9/11 Durham Lane in Auckland. It was a sold-out weekend that drew a wide range of audiences and high levels of engagement, with photos from the activation shared with each group of participants to enjoy and feature on their own social media.

Spark Foundry NZ led media strategy, with pre-activation OOH assets rolled out across key urban areas to raise awareness and drive attendance. In addition, they brought the credit card ‘fears’ to life through Mediaworks radio promotions and tailored content for social and digital, delivering over 7.5 million impressions across Meta, TikTok and YouTube and facilitating a partnership with HOYTS to sponsor their horror genre films from October to December.

Digitas NZ led customer experience, developing a dedicated landing page and revamping the Fee Free Mastercard product page to help 18 to 29 year olds navigate credit.

A series of short videos will continue to roll out on social channels, highlighting each ‘fear’ and the creative associated with it from the ‘House of Credit Card Fears’.